RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has rejected suggestions that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement could constrain Pakistan’s relations with Iran, describing the pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as defensive and without any regional agenda.
Speaking to Al Arabiya English, the DG-ISPR said Pakistan was continuing efforts to promote peace between Iran and the United States, stressing that Islamabad had consistently advocated dialogue and de-escalation.
He said Pakistan’s policy of “multi-alignment and multi-engagement” enabled it to maintain relations with different countries while playing a constructive role in resolving regional disputes.
“We don’t have any personal or own objective in this dispute,” he said.
According to the DG-ISPR, Pakistan’s primary concern was to prevent the conflict from expanding and encourage the parties to settle their differences through dialogue rather than military confrontation on land, at sea or in the air.
Pakistan confident of securing western border
Addressing concerns that the conflict could spill over into Pakistan, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif said the country had full confidence in its ability to safeguard its borders, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He acknowledged that the possibility of the conflict expanding either horizontally or vertically remained a concern for Pakistan, the region and the international community.
However, he said Pakistan was “fully confident” of dealing with any threats or hostile designs emerging from the conflict.
Ties with one country not dependent on another
The DG-ISPR also dismissed the notion that Pakistan’s engagement with one major power came at the expense of its relations with another.
He said Islamabad’s relationship with Washington was independent of its ties with Iran, China and other countries.
“Our relationship with the United States is independent and it is not at the cost of Iran. It is not at the cost of China. It is not at the cost of any other country,” he said.
He added that Pakistan maintained independent relations with multiple countries, global powers and different international blocs, with these partnerships being guided by mutual interests and benefits.
He said Pakistan’s foreign and national policies were ultimately centred on its own national objectives, including the prosperity, security and stability of its people.
Defence pact rooted in longstanding partnerships
Responding specifically to questions about the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif said the arrangement was not a new development but reflected longstanding strategic relations between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
He said the pact formalised existing defence cooperation and collective deterrence arrangements between the three countries.
“It has got no offensive, no interference, no aggressive element. Not at all. And it is purely defensive in nature,” he said.
The DG-ISPR said the agreement had no regional ambitions and was intended to strengthen collective defence rather than target any particular country.
“There are no regional aspirations,” he said, describing the pact as “complementary in nature”.
He maintained that the agreement would not affect Pakistan’s other bilateral relationships, pointing out that Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan themselves maintained independent ties with other countries and international alliances.
